In March 1982, parked in a remote area of swamp forest in northwestern Tasmania, wildlife ranger Hans Naarding was asleep in his vehicle. When he woke up at 2am, it was dark and raining heavily. Out of habit, he switched on his torch and scanned the surrounding area.
“As I swept the beam around, it came to rest on a large thylacine, standing side-on some 6-7m distant,” he later wrote. “I decided to examine the animal carefully before risking movement. It was an adult male in excellent condition with 12 black stripes on a sandy coat. Eye reflection was pale yellow. It moved only once, opening its jaw and showing its teeth.”
When Naarding reached for his camera bag after several minutes, the movement spooked the creature, and it slunk away into the undergrowth.
The encounter was kept secret while an intense search for thylacines was initiated in the surrounding area, but nothing was ever discovered. Naarding’s thylacine, it seemed, had vanished into the night.
There was just one problem with this remarkable sighting. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world authority on rare and threatened species, the thylacine – a dog-sized predatory marsupial also known as the Tasmanian tiger – was extinct in 1982. The last known individual died in 1936 in Hobart Zoo; the last reliable sighting of a wild one dates back to 1933. The species died out sometime after the mid-1960s.
This story is from the November 2021 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2021 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Flightless birds
Our pick of 10 curious birds that have lost the ability to fly
ALL YOU EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT THE Shoebill
THIS PREHISTORIC-LOOKING BIRD IS affectionately known by some as 'king of the marshes' as it is huge (up to 1.5m tall with a 2.4m wingspan) and resides in the freshwater marshes and swamps of East Africa.
Slime: protector, lubricant and glue
GOO, GUNGE, GUNK... WHILE THERE are many names for the stuff that makes things slippery or sticky, slime isn't a single material but a label for a variety of substances with similar physical properties. Those qualities are desirable to many living things, which is why slime is made by such a wide range of organisms.
How do parrots learn to swear?
THERE ARE FEW THINGS AS GLORIOUSLY entertaining as the effing and blinding of a potty-mouthed parrot.
Why are walruses so chubby?
AS A GENERAL RULE, TERRESTRIAL mammals are furry, while aquatic ones are fat. It doesn't work across the board: sea otters rarely leave the water but have the densest fur of any mammal.
What is the lotus effect?
WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF WATCHING the clock on the wall of a dentist's waiting room, you can always pass a bit of time with a rummage through the bowl of fragrant botanical wonders next to the leaflets about expensive cosmetic work.
Are there any plants in Antarctica?
CONTINENTS DON'T COME ANY MORE inhospitable than Antarctica, where life must contend with the longest, darkest, coldest winters and a year-round blanket of snow and ice.
LANDLORD OF THE WILD
The humble aardvark is seldom praised for its work digging out homes for other animals
CRACK DOWN
As the new Amazon drama Poacher hits our screens, we take a look at the fight to end ivory poaching in India
Wild words
Spending time observing and writing about the natural world can be transformational